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Author Topic: Philadelphia Film Festival  (Read 12524 times)

FLYmeatwad

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Philadelphia Film Festival
« on: September 28, 2016, 07:37:42 PM »
Tickets for this year's festival go on sale on the 30th, I think, but there's no schedule so far. Hopefully it drops tomorrow and I can start figuring out when I can go/what to see.

FLYmeatwad

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Re: Philadelphia Film Festival
« Reply #1 on: September 30, 2016, 02:03:22 PM »
« Last Edit: September 30, 2016, 03:17:31 PM by FLYmeatwad »

¡Keith!

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Re: Philadelphia Film Festival
« Reply #2 on: October 03, 2016, 04:46:30 PM »
Heh, opening and closing night films I caught at Telluride. But... 4k Restoration of the Dekalog!

FLYmeatwad

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Re: Philadelphia Film Festival
« Reply #3 on: October 03, 2016, 06:47:37 PM »
I figured La La Land would open, wasn't sure what would close, but I'm thinking of buying a pass and hopefully will catch both, though am only super interested in the closing night. I also would love to see The Dekalog, but can't blow an entire festival day on that, like seeing the OJ doc on the big screen. Would be cool, but too much time.

FLYmeatwad

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Re: Philadelphia Film Festival
« Reply #4 on: October 21, 2016, 10:52:18 PM »
My first day is in the books. I wrote about things briefly on Letterboxd, but I'll do the quicker hits here.

La La Land - Opened last night, and was enjoyable enough. Unironic, but not super ambitious either, though the ending worked. I have a touchy relationship with musicals, and this didn't change that.

Neruda - I have a lot more reading to do, but almost a great opening film for Friday because I'm pretty sure it contained both talk of communists/communism and had naked men, two things that cropped up in pretty much everything I saw today.

Being 17 - A coming of age film that looked good, but hardly delicate or subtle. Not that all films need those things, but when you're talking about identity exploration and formation you kind of want them. A pretty good film, as most French things I've seen tend to be.

The Happiest Day In The Life Of Olli Maki - I haven't seen Raging Bull or Rocky, but this isn't really a boxing movie anyway. It feels real, and it's funny, and it looks really pretty. It didn't floor me, but it's very good. Surprised this wasn't also a French film. The director was there, and he had some insight to provide about Finnish cinema, which was cool to hear.

MeTube 2 - This was maybe the best thing I saw today, though twas only a short, and more visually nuts than anything.

My Entire High School Sinking In To The Sea - Again, more visually nuts than anything, and very clear with the thematic exploration and allegory it was attempting to make, but really fun and funny. China, IL by way of Superjail.

Unfortunately that last one ran late, so I missed the opening to In The Age Of Shadows, which I really wanted to see, but also didn't want to miss the opening 10-15 minutes. Hopefully I can catch up with that on video since I'll miss its other showing as well. Could have seen another one, but was bummed about Age Of Shadows and ended up heading home around 10. A solid first day, but nothing exceptional, unlike the past two years.

EDIT: For curious minds...

Neruda - Equal split communism and male nudity.

Being 17 - More male nudity, not as much communism.

Olli Maki - More male nudity, a little communism.

MeTube 2 - Just bondage stuff.

High School - More communism, no male nudity.
« Last Edit: October 22, 2016, 10:40:51 AM by FLYmeatwad »

FLYmeatwad

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Re: Philadelphia Film Festival
« Reply #5 on: October 23, 2016, 10:19:53 PM »
More nudity today, but not from men and not as frequent. Today was all about theatre and drama, like the Shakespeare kind.

After The Storm - I think I understand what Koreeda does, but he seems to do it well, and drawing from Shakespeare at least in the central construction helps illuminate the relationships in the film.

Tampopo - FLY playing catchup at roujin's suggestion, and it proved to be a great suggestion. Funny, intimate, charming, and a little insane.

The Salesman - Don't get much more theatrical than this. I'm tired of what Farhadi does with the camera, though I always have been since his first film, though of his work I think this is easily my favorite because it borrows so heavily and smartly from the theatre.

FLYmeatwad

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Re: Philadelphia Film Festival
« Reply #6 on: October 30, 2016, 09:16:44 PM »
Goldstone - Pretty, but boring. It's always stunning to see how desolate the middle of Australia is though.

Graduation - Rigorously formal, but plenty of what I assume at this point to be Mungiu-isms. I found a lot to enjoy, grey and complex and rewarding, even if I didn't love it the way I have his last two films.

Frantz - Not sure if this is typical Ozon, but some nice twists on a traditional story. There's a lot beneath the surface, deceptively so, actually.

Abacus: Small Enough To Jail - Of all the James films I've seen, of which I have found them middling at best, this one feels the most like a PBS documentary. Take that for what it's worth. It's also only 89 minutes, which seems abnormal for him, though I suppose that speaks to how much is really 'there' with the subject and subjects.

"Because The World Never Stops" - Mildly entertaining, but I either missed what it was trying to reveal, or it was just toothless satire.

I, Daniel Blake - Sort of reminded my of that Future song "I Serve The Base" except in this case the base is just a bunch of old people who want to tisk and shake their head about how millennials ruined the world but in the safest way possible. Definitely should have seen Aquarius, but it opens in Philly in like a week or two, I think, so I'll catch up with it then.

The Unknown Girl - Two Days, One Night except with a dead body. Fortunately I liked 2D1N.

Raw - A secret screening, but so damn enjoyable. Visually beautiful, and it did so much with color and soundtrack. Reminded me of Black Swan by way of The Neon Demon with a dash of It Follows, though unfortunately it doesn't have the psychological nuance of those films, but damn if it wasn't a blast.

All in all it was a solid festival, but I'm bummed I missed Patterson, Toni Erdmann, Harmonium, Aquarius (will see soon), The Handmaiden (opening Friday, so will see that soon too), and Manchester-By-The-Sea (which, again, will get a release), and though there were plenty of solid films I wasn't blown away in the way The Lobster did last year, or Mommy and It Follows did two years ago, hell, not even how Holy Motors did a few years back, though Rawdefinitely came close and was a great way to close things out. That and Frantz were probably my favorites (though dark horse is The Salesman), which Goldstone was kind of dull and I utterly despised I, Daniel Blake. Not sure what happened with that one at Cannes this year, can't remember the last time I hated a Palme winner like that.

DarkCrystal

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Re: Philadelphia Film Festival
« Reply #7 on: November 25, 2016, 10:24:44 AM »
While I now live in Washington DC area, I grew up outside Philly, and just wanted to give a shout for how damn awesome this film festival is.  It must be one of the most underrated nationally, I used to go as a teen (now a lifetime ago!) and was always wow-ed by the selection, and how many underrated gems would find over the years.

Haven't made it out to see it in forever, but just wanted to share.  Enjoy to all who get to go!

FLYmeatwad

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Re: Philadelphia Film Festival
« Reply #8 on: October 03, 2017, 09:36:18 AM »
I really don't know what's happening. Still no sign of a lineup and we're like two weeks out. Getting worried.

FLYmeatwad

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Re: Philadelphia Film Festival
« Reply #9 on: October 03, 2017, 10:02:07 PM »
Lineup is up! I hope to make both weekends and at least one of the Friday evenings. Now the question, buy a badge or not? And also, of course, what does roujin think I should watch?

http://filmadelphia.org/wp-content/uploads/PFF26-WEB-100317.pdf